He spoke softly — but carried a big lacrosse stick.
Cooper “Coop” Lyles, 18, has been identified as the teen who died Dec. 2 in a tragic industrial accident at Traffic Materials Supplier plant in St. Augustine.
Hailing from a proud local family, he graduated from St. Augustine High School in 2024 where he excelled in lacrosse, according to his obituary.
The lifelong St. Augustine resident was team captain and led his squad to a district championship in 2024.
“Cooper was a shy, reserved, soft-spoken young man that blazed his own path,” his obituary says. “On the field, he led by example, never, ever taking a play off. Giving praise, instruction and guidance when needed. When he spoke, it was usually hilarious, or wise.”
His sister, Ashlynn Taylor-Lyles posted a photo of her with Cooper Lyles and their brother Ethan Lyles on Facebook. “My love will never waver. I will never question spirituality. I feel you all around and with me,” she wrote.
In another photo of the siblings, she wrote, “Lyles trio forever.”
Remembered as reserved and sage beyond his years, Lyles chose not to rush into college after graduation, instead taking a semester off to work at the plant and save money for his future education.
An avid outsdoorman, he planned to begin coursework in January and ultimately embark on a career in Fish and Wildlife, according to the obituary.
Lyles had a gentle love of animals, his relatives said, and was especially devoted to his cats Gator and Roscoe.
The “smart, loving, witty” teen is survived by his mother, Aundrea Lyles, his father and stepmother, Jason and Andrea Lyles, his sister Taylor-Lyles and his brother Ethan Lyles.
Emergency units were called to Traffic Materials Supplier on Industrial Drive at 10:40 a.m. and declared Lyles deceased at the scene.
According to the the company’s website, Traffic Materials Supplier manufactures products for marking roads.
Services for Lyles were held on Sunday at the St. Johns Agricultural Center.
Jason Lyles thanked the community for an “outpouring of love” after the accident.
St. Augustine High School boy’s lacrosse coach David Ott, Flager College’s head men’s lacrosse coach Brian Duncan and Shorter University Athletics head men’s lacrosse coach Jeff La Vangie were all in attendance.
“His spirit and legacy will live on in all of our hearts, and on the lacrosse field where he loved to be,” the father wrote.
